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Our lame-duck governor can't feather budget

It's a phrase that originated in 19th-century England. It is a duck that is unable to keep up with its flock, thereby becoming a helpless target for predators.

It was applied to politicians holding office who were defeated or were not running for re-election. They became lame, as in a lame duck.

Gov. Deval Patrick was not defeated but was re-elected in 2010 to a second four-year term. Despite his victory -- or perhaps because of it -- he announced, unwisely as it turned out, that he would not run again. Nobody asked him; he just said it. He chose not to keep up with his flock.

This immediately made him a lame duck. But it did not matter much at first because he had just begun his second term and people in four years can change their mind. And besides, he had his loyal heir apparent, former Lt. Gov. Tim Murray, at his side, ready to succeed him.

But it matters now. The lieutenant governor self-destructed and is gone, having resigned to take a job in Worcester, his hometown, and the governor is a short-timer whose name will not be on the ballot in 2014.

So when the governor talks tough in his showdown with the Legislature over how much to raise taxes to pay for funding the state's transportation system, you have to take his threats with a grain of salt.

The reality is that Patrick has marginalized himself and no longer holds the upper hand -- if he indeed ever did -- when it comes to dealing with House Speaker Robert DeLeo and Senate President Therese Murray, despite the fact that they are all Democrats.

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Patrick, who never showed much enthusiasm or skill in dealing with the Legislature -- let alone showing the leadership much respect -- in the 6 1/2 years he has been governor, now finds himself demanding that legislators vote for higher taxes while he has one foot out the door.

Patrick has nothing to lose. He will be gone. But the Democratic legislators will still be here, running for re-election in 2014 with a Patrick tax hike as one of the issues.

It is especially ironic that Patrick, who burst on the political scene in 2006 promising to reduce property taxes, leaves promoting a tax increase of close to $1 billion.

This is similar to what the last outgoing Democratic governor did. That would be Gov. Michael S. Dukakis, who left office in 1990 after handing taxpayers a $2 billion tax package -- half in budgets cuts and half in new taxes.

It is hardly any wonder then why Republicans ruled the governor's office for the next 16 years, until Patrick came along. So now we would have Patrick imitating Dukakis.

The situation right now is this. The Democratic controlled House and Senate approved a $500 million tax-raising plan for transportation infrastructure in the state's $34 billion budget. Patrick, who initially requested a $1.2 billion tax increase -- but settled on $800 million -- on Wednesday sent it back to the Legislature with an amendment requesting the full $800 million.

However, the governor's proposed amendment was rudely condemned and rejected by DeLeo and Murray even before Patrick finished outlining it at his Wednesday Statehouse press conference. And Patrick, who should have known better, appeared shocked.

Talk about getting dissed.

The two legislative leaders said: "This threatens working families and businesses still fighting to overcome the financial downturn. Therefore, we will ask our respective chambers to reject the administration's proposal," they said.

Upon rejection of his amendment by the Legislature, which is expected, Patrick's options will be to veto the whole budget bill outright, sign it, or let it become law without his signature. No matter which option he chooses, he loses.

Signing it would be an admission that he lost; vetoing it would be an act of defiance, but an even worse defeat if his veto were overridden, and letting it become law without his signature would be a weak copout, like voting present.

Patrick attempted to challenge the Legislature from a point of weakness, not strength. He would have been in a much stronger position had he never revealed his political plans.

Once he publicly said he would not run again, it was like watching the air come out of a punctured balloon.

Politicians on Beacon Hill have little to fear from a lame-duck governor. It is the guy coming in they worry about, not the guy going out.

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